Part 4 (2/2)
How about Old Billee?”
”You couldn't pick a better companion,” agreed Mr. Merkel.
Billee Dobb was only too glad to get away from the routine work of the ranch--riding herd and helping in the round up and s.h.i.+pping--and quickly saddled to accompany the boys on their ride through the night, in an endeavor to pick up the trail of those who had committed the robbery at Spur Creek.
”Well, I guess we're off this time,” remarked d.i.c.k, as once more they turned their horses' heads in the general direction supposed to have been taken by the robbers.
It was, as you may surmise, pretty much guess work, and yet there were some clues on which to work, and the boys hoped to pick up others as they went along, by stopping at different ranch houses and making inquiries. Then, too, cowboys would be met with here and there, and they might have seen some trace of the fugitives.
In the olden days, before the West was as much traveled as it is now, it might have been possible for pioneers, such as those featured in the novels of James Fenimore Cooper, to have followed and picked up the trail by the mere physical evidences left on the ground--a footprint here, a hoofmark there, the pressed down gra.s.s and so on.
But this was out of the question now, though some slight marks might be discovered in the daytime by the sharp eyes of Billee Dobb, who was a veteran cowboy and plainsman. In this Bud and his companions would have to rely on Billee, as the boys themselves had not had much experience in this line.
”Well, Billee, what do you think of it all?” asked Bud as he rode beside the old man, while Nort and d.i.c.k loped along in the rear.
”You mean what happened to-night, Bud?”
”Yep.” Bud was clipping his words short to save time.
”Well,” said the old man slowly, ”I don't know just what to think.
It's all mighty queer, but one thing I'll say--this didn't all happen just to-night.”
”You mean it was planned in advance?” asked d.i.c.k.
”Sartin sure, son! It was a put-up job if ever there was one. Why, just look back over it. Here we all were in peace and quiet, and Mr.
Merkel was entertainin' his friends, when up rides a bunch of onery Greasers, if I'm any judge.”
”What makes you think they were Greasers?” asked Bud.
”'Cause no decent white men would act like they did. Up they rides, pretending to be sneakin' in on us, maybe to lift a few horses or else stampede a bunch of our cows. But that wasn't their intention at all.”
”If it was, Slim and the rest of 'em spoiled their plans,” observed Nort.
”Don't worry, they had no notion of takin' anything,” declared Old Billee. ”They just wanted to take our attention while some of their confederates sneaked in and got Mr. Merkel's papers; and they done that same.”
”I'll say they did!” exclaimed Bud in disgust. ”It was all too easy for them. But how did they know Dad's papers were in the safe?”
”Well, it's common knowledge that your paw claims the land around Spur Creek,” observed Billee. ”That's common knowledge. And it wouldn't take a Kansas City lawyer long to figger out that he had papers to prove his claim, an' that he kept these papers in his safe; it bein'
equally well known that we haven't much time to fool with banks around here, 'specially in the busy season.
”So all the rascal had to do was to get the house clear, by creatin'
some excitement away from it, and then he walked in an' skinned the safe. It didn't help matters any that th' perfesser happened along at the same time, either, and I don't care who knows it!” declared Billee Dobb emphatically.
”You don't mean to say you believe Dr. Wright had any hand in this?”
cried Bud.
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